U.S. patent application number 10/393170 was filed with the patent office on 2004-09-23 for pressure compensated hydrophone.
Invention is credited to Woo, Daniel Ming Kwong.
Application Number | 20040184352 10/393170 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32176399 |
Filed Date | 2004-09-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040184352 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Woo, Daniel Ming Kwong |
September 23, 2004 |
Pressure compensated hydrophone
Abstract
A pressure compensated hydrophone for measuring dynamic
pressures is disclosed. The hydrophone includes a compliant hollow
mandrel with a single optical fiber coiled around at least a
portion of the mandrel. The mandrel further includes at least one
pressure relief valve for compensating for changes in hydrostatic
pressure. The pressure relief valve includes a micro-hole, which
allows hydrostatic pressures or low frequency pressure events to
couple into the interior of the mandrel to provide compensation
against such pressure. Higher frequencies pressure events of
interest do not couple through the micro-hole and therefore only
act only on the exterior of the mandrel, allowing for their
detection. Because (quasi) hydrostatic events are compensated for,
the mandrel may be made particularly compliant, rendering the
singular fiber optic coil particularly sensitive to the detection
of the higher frequency signals of interest.
Inventors: |
Woo, Daniel Ming Kwong;
(Missouri City, TX) |
Correspondence
Address: |
HOWREY SIMON ARNOLD & WHITE LLP
750 BERING DRIVE
HOUSTON
TX
77057
US
|
Family ID: |
32176399 |
Appl. No.: |
10/393170 |
Filed: |
March 20, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
367/149 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04R 1/44 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
367/149 |
International
Class: |
H04R 001/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A hydrophone assembly deployable in an external environment
having a first hydrostatic pressure, the hydrophone for measuring
dynamic acoustic pressures present in the external environment,
comprising: a mandrel with an inner cavity, wherein the inner
cavity is at a second pressure and defines a sensing region of the
mandrel; an optical fiber secured to at least a portion of an
exterior of the sensing region; and at least one pressure relief
valve positioned between the first pressure and the second pressure
for selectively coupling the second pressure to the first
pressure.
2. The hydrophone assembly of claim 1, wherein the sensing region
is compliant in response to the dynamic acoustic pressures.
3. The hydrophone assembly of claim 1, wherein the inner cavity is
liquid filled.
4. The hydrophone assembly of claim 3, wherein the liquid comprises
silicone oil.
5. The hydrophone assembly of claim 1, wherein the optical fiber is
coiled around the sensing region.
6. The hydrophone assembly of claim 5, wherein the optical fiber
coil is bounded by first and second fiber Bragg gratings.
7. The hydrophone assembly of claim 6, wherein the first and second
gratings have equal reflection wavelengths.
8. The hydrophone assembly of claim 1, wherein the optical fiber
secured to the sensing region comprises at least one fiber Bragg
grating.
9. The hydrophone assembly of claim 1, wherein the valve is
enclosed within a valve housing coupled to the mandrel.
10. The hydrophone assembly of claim 1, wherein the valve couples
the pressure when the first pressure exceeds the second pressure by
a valve closing force of the valve.
11. The hydrophone assembly of claim 1, wherein the valve couples
the pressure when the second pressure exceeds the first pressure by
a valve closing force of the valve.
12. The hydrophone assembly of claim 1, wherein the hydrophone
comprises a first valve and a second valve, and wherein the first
valve couples the pressure when the first pressure exceeds the
second pressure by a first predetermined amount, and wherein the
second valve couples the pressure when the second pressure exceeds
the first pressure by a second predetermined amount.
13. The hydrophone assembly of claim 1, wherein the first
predetermined amount comprises a first valve closing force for the
first valve, and the second predetermined amount comprises a second
valve closing force for the second valve.
14. The hydrophone assembly of claim 13, wherein the first and
second valve closing forces are equal.
15. The hydrophone assembly of claim 1, wherein the valve comprises
a spring.
16. The hydrophone assembly of claim 1, wherein the mandrel
comprises a cylinder.
17. The hydrophone assembly of claim 1, wherein the mandrel
comprises an oblique cylinder.
18. The hydrophone assembly of claim 1, further comprising a
housing, wherein the mandrel is contained within the housing,
wherein the first pressure is present within a space between the
mandrel and the housing, and wherein the first pressure couples
into the space through the housing.
19. The hydrophone assembly of claim 18, wherein the first pressure
couples into the space through at least one hole within the
housing.
20. The hydrophone of claim 18, wherein the space is liquid
filled.
21. A hydrophone assembly deployable in an external environment
having a first hydrostatic pressure, the hydrophone for measuring
dynamic acoustic pressures present in the external environment,
comprising: a mandrel with an inner cavity, wherein the inner
cavity is at a second pressure and defines a sensing region of the
mandrel; an optical fiber secured to at least a portion of an
exterior of the sensing region; and at least one pressure relief
valve having a valve closing force positioned between the first
pressure and the second pressure, wherein the valve couples the
second pressure to the first pressure when the differential
pressure between the first and second pressures exceeds the valve
closing force.
22. The hydrophone assembly of claim 21, wherein the sensing region
is compliant in response to the dynamic acoustic pressures.
23. The hydrophone assembly of claim 21 wherein the inner cavity is
liquid filled.
24. The hydrophone assembly of claim 23, wherein the liquid
comprises silicone oil.
25. The hydrophone assembly of claim 21, wherein the optical fiber
is coiled around the sensing region.
26. The hydrophone assembly of claim 25, wherein the optical fiber
coil is bounded by first and second fiber Bragg gratings.
27. The hydrophone assembly of claim 26, wherein the first and
second gratings have equal reflection wavelengths.
28. The hydrophone assembly of claim 21, wherein the optical fiber
secured to the sensing region comprises at least one fiber Bragg
grating.
29. The hydrophone assembly of claim 21, wherein the valve is
enclosed within a valve housing coupled to the mandrel.
30. The hydrophone assembly of claim 21, wherein the valve couples
the pressure when the first pressure exceeds the second pressure by
the valve closing force.
31. The hydrophone assembly of claim 21, wherein the valve couples
the pressure when the second pressure exceeds the first pressure by
the valve closing force.
32. The hydrophone assembly of claim 21, wherein the hydrophone
comprises a first valve having a first valve closing force and a
second valve having a second valve closing force, and wherein the
first valve couples the pressure when the first pressure exceeds
the second pressure by the first valve closing force, and wherein
the second valve couples the pressure when the second pressure
exceeds the first pressure by the second valve closing force.
33. The hydrophone assembly of claim 32, wherein the first and
second valve closing forces are equal.
34. The hydrophone assembly of claim 21, wherein the valve
comprises a spring for providing the valve closing force.
35. The hydrophone assembly of claim 21, wherein the mandrel
comprises a cylinder.
36. The hydrophone assembly of claim 21, wherein the mandrel
comprises an oblique cylinder.
37. The hydrophone assembly of claim 21, further comprising a
housing, wherein the mandrel is contained within the housing,
wherein the first pressure is present within a space between the
mandrel and the housing, and wherein the first pressure couples
into the space through the housing.
38. The hydrophone assembly of claim 37, wherein the first pressure
couples into the space through at least one hole within the
housing.
39. The hydrophone of claim 38, wherein the space is liquid
filled.
40. A hydrophone assembly deployable in an external environment
having a first hydrostatic pressure, the hydrophone for measuring
dynamic acoustic pressures present in the external environment,
comprising: a mandrel with an inner cavity, wherein the inner
cavity is at a second pressure and defines a sensing region of the
mandrel; an optical fiber secured to at least a portion of an
exterior of the sensing region; and means for selectively coupling
the second pressure to the first pressure when the differential
pressure between the first and second pressures exceeds a
predetermined amount.
41. The hydrophone assembly of claim 40, wherein the sensing region
is compliant in response to the dynamic acoustic pressures.
42. The hydrophone assembly of claim 40, wherein the inner cavity
is liquid filled.
43. The hydrophone assembly of claim 42, wherein the liquid
comprises silicone oil.
44. The hydrophone assembly of claim 40, wherein the optical fiber
is coiled around the sensing region.
45. The hydrophone assembly of claim 44, wherein the optical fiber
coil is bounded by first and second fiber Bragg gratings.
46. The hydrophone assembly of claim 45, wherein the first and
second gratings have equal reflection wavelengths.
47. The hydrophone assembly of claim 40, wherein the optical fiber
secured to the sensing region comprises at least one fiber Bragg
grating.
48. The hydrophone assembly of claim 40, wherein the predetermined
amount comprises a valve closing force.
49. The hydrophone assembly of claim 40, wherein the mandrel
comprises a cylinder.
50. The hydrophone assembly of claim 40, wherein the mandrel
comprises an oblique cylinder.
51. The hydrophone assembly of claim 40, further comprising a
housing, wherein the mandrel is contained within the housing,
wherein the first pressure is present within a space between the
mandrel and the housing, and wherein the first pressure couples
into the space through the housing.
52. The hydrophone assembly of claim 51, wherein the first pressure
couples into the space through at least one hole within the
housing.
53. The hydrophone of claim 51, wherein the space is liquid
filled.
54. A method of using a hydrophone assembly deployable in an
external environment having a first hydrostatic pressure to detect
dynamic acoustic pressures present in the external environment
caused by a seismic disturbance, comprising: causing a seismic
disturbance to create dynamic acoustic pressures; detecting the
dynamic acoustic pressures with the hydrophone, wherein the
hydrophone comprises: an inner cavity at a second pressure and
defining a sensing region of the mandrel; an optical fiber secured
to at least a portion of an exterior of the sensing region; and at
least one pressure relief valve positioned between the first
pressure and the second pressure for selectively coupling the
second pressure to the first pressure.
55. The method of claim 54, wherein the external environment
comprises a well.
56. The method of claim 55, wherein the well contains a casing, and
further comprising deploying the hydrophone to couple the
hydrophone to the casing.
57. The method of claim 56, wherein the hydrophone is deployed from
production tubing.
58. The method of claim 54, wherein the sensing region is compliant
in response to the dynamic acoustic pressures.
59. The method of claim 54, wherein the inner cavity is liquid
filled.
60. The method of claim 59, wherein the liquid comprises silicone
oil.
61. The method of claim 54, wherein the optical fiber is coiled
around the sensing region.
62. The method of claim 61, wherein the optical fiber coil is
bounded by first and second fiber Bragg gratings.
63. The method of claim 54, wherein the valve is enclosed within a
valve housing coupled to the mandrel.
64. The method of claim 54, wherein the valve couples the pressure
when the first pressure exceeds the second pressure by a valve
closing force of the valve.
65. The method of claim 54, wherein the valve couples the pressure
when the second pressure exceeds the first pressure by a valve
closing force of the valve.
66. The method of claim 54, wherein the hydrophone comprises a
first valve and a second valve, and wherein the first valve couples
the pressure when the first pressure exceeds the second pressure by
a first predetermined amount, and wherein the second valve couples
the pressure when the second pressure exceeds the first pressure by
a second predetermined amount.
67. The method of claim 54, wherein the first predetermined amount
comprises a first valve closing force for the first valve, and the
second predetermined amount comprises a second valve closing force
for the second valve.
68. The method of claim 67, wherein the first and second valve
closing forces are equal.
69. The method of claim 54, wherein the valve comprises a
spring.
70. The method of claim 54, further comprising a housing, wherein
the mandrel is contained within the housing, wherein the first
pressure is present within a space between the mandrel and the
housing, and wherein the first pressure couples into the space
through the housing.
71. The method of claim 70, wherein the first pressure couples into
the space through at least one hole within the housing.
72. The method claim 70, wherein the space is liquid filled.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates generally to hydrophones, and more
particularly to a pressure compensated fiber optic hydrophone.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Fiber optic hydrophones are well known in the art for
measuring seismic and acoustic disturbances. Generally hydrophones
are towed behind a ship to measure these disturbances. However,
with the increasing development of subsea or land-based oil/well
systems, a hydrophone that could be deployed down a well at extreme
depths and that could withstand the extremely corrosive downhole
environment would provide significant benefits. Such a hydrophone
would improve the ability to explore the land surrounding a well
site by seismology or to detect other acoustics downhole that could
inform the well operator about various aspect of the well's
production.
[0003] While hydrostatic pressure has a measurable effect on a
hydrophone, especially when the hydrophone is deployed at extreme
depths, small dynamic pressures, such as propagating acoustic sound
waves, have a relatively small effect and therefore are more
difficult to measure. When a measurement is to be made at depths
where the hydrostatic pressure is great (e.g., thousands of feet
down the well), the hydrostatic pressure can overwhelm the acoustic
waves by many orders of magnitude.
[0004] In an attempt to resolve relatively small dynamic pressures,
fiber optic hydrophones generally have two fiber optic "arms"a
sensing arm and a reference arm. Both the sensing arm and the
reference arm generally constitute optical fibers coiled around
corresponding cylindrical mandrels--an outer compliant mandrel for
the sensing arm and an inner rigid mandrel for the reference arm.
The compliant mandrel is typically thin walled so that its radius
changes easily in response to the acoustic pressures being
measured. A cavity is formed between the two mandrels. A gas (e.g.,
air) or liquid typically fills this cavity. The rigid mandrel may
be relatively thick walled, or alternatively thin walled and
exposed to the ambient pressure so that its radius would not
change. One such hydrophone is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,394,377
entitled, "Polarization Insensitive Hydrophone," and is
incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. While compliant
mandrels are very sensitive, they are subject to damage and
collapse when subjected to extremely high hydrostatic pressures,
particularly if they are gas-backed. The production of such
gas-backed designs is also costly, largely due to the need to seal
the air cavity existing between the sensing and reference mandrels.
Furthermore, the reference fiber must enter and exit this air
cavity without disrupting the seal. Leaking and fiber breakage at
this seal commonly can occur during the assembly process.
[0005] An alternative design that attempts to alleviate the
problems with gas-backed designs comprises a solid core wrapped
with a reference coil of optical fiber. A compliant material is
formed around the reference coil such that a cavity is eliminated.
Then a sensing coil of optical fiber is wound around the compliant
material. Such a design is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,625,724
entitled, "Fiber Optic Hydrophone Having Rigid Mandrel," which is
incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. While this solid
design withstands high pressures when deployed at extreme depths,
the design lacks in sensitivity to detect acoustic pressure waves
and requires two windings of optical fibers. Other fiber optic
hydrophone designs can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,625,724;
5,317,544; 5,668,779; 5,363,342; 5,394,377, which are also
incorporated herein by reference.
[0006] The art would benefit from a hydrophone sensitive enough to
measure relatively small dynamic pressures while being able to
withstand deployment in environments having large hydrostatic
pressures. It would be further beneficial for such a hydrophone to
contain a single measurement coil, without the need for a reference
coil.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] A pressure compensated hydrophone for measuring dynamic
pressures is disclosed. The hydrophone includes a compliant hollow
mandrel with a single optical fiber coiled around at least a
portion of the mandrel. The mandrel further includes at least one
pressure relief valve for compensating for changes in hydrostatic
pressure. The pressure relief valve includes a micro-hole that
allows hydrostatic pressures or low frequency pressure events to
couple into the interior of the mandrel to provide compensation
against such pressure. Higher frequency pressure events of interest
do not couple through the micro-hole and therefore act only on the
exterior of the mandrel, allowing for their detection. Because
(quasi) hydrostatic events are compensated for, the mandrel may be
made particularly compliant, rendering the singular fiber optic
coil particularly sensitive to the detection of the higher
frequency signals of interest.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] The foregoing and other features and aspects of the present
disclosure will be best understood with reference to the following
detailed description of embodiments of the invention, when read in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0009] FIG. 1 illustrates a cross sectional view of one embodiment
of a pressure compensated hydrophone incorporating a single
pressure relief valve.
[0010] FIG. 2 illustrates a cross sectional view of one embodiment
of a pressure compensated hydrophone incorporating first and second
pressure relief valves.
[0011] FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a
pressure compensated hydrophone.
[0012] FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of another embodiment
of a pressure compensated hydrophone.
[0013] FIG. 5 illustrates a cross sectional view of one embodiment
of a pressure compensated hydrophone package assembly.
[0014] FIG. 6 schematically illustrates an array of hydrophone
package assemblies deployed in a well and connected by
inter-station cables.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
[0015] In the interest of clarity, not all features of actual
implementations of a pressure compensated hydrophone are described
in the disclosure that follows. It will of course be appreciated
that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in
any such project, numerous engineering and design decisions must be
made to achieve the developers' specific goals, e.g., compliance
with mechanical and business related constraints, which will vary
from one implementation to another. While attention must
necessarily be paid to proper engineering and design practices for
the environment in question, it should be appreciated that the
development of a pressure compensated hydrophone would nevertheless
be a routine undertaking for those of skill in the art given the
details provided by this disclosure.
[0016] FIG. 1 depicts an embodiment of a pressure compensated
hydrophone 10. The hydrophone 10 includes a preferably flattened
oblique mandrel 24 (shown best in FIG. 4) that contains a
pressure-relief valve 12 and an inner cavity 32. The inner cavity
32 spans a portion of the length of the mandrel 24 and is
preferably filled with a high-viscosity low bulk modulus fluid,
such as silicone oil, such that substantially no air is present
within the inner cavity 32. The inner cavity 32 acts in tandem with
the pressure relief valve 12 to provide pressure compensation for
the hydrophone 10, as described in more detail below. The inner
cavity 32 is bounded by a wall 25 to define a sensing region 33 of
the hydrophone 10. The hydrophone can range from 0.4 to 12 inches
in length and from 0.4 to 1.5 inches in diameter, depending on the
application at hand.
[0017] The mandrel 24 is preferably made of a homogenous material,
which will impart a compliance to wall 25 suitable for the
particular application at hand. Metal alloys providing suitable
compliancy and chemical robustness for oil/gas well applications
include non-ferrous alloy materials, alloy steel, or stainless
steel. The compliance may vary depending on factors such as the
thickness of the mandrel wall 25, and the physical properties of
the mandrel material, e.g. its modulus of elasticity. These factors
and others may be chosen to help produce favorable sensor
sensitivity for detecting the frequencies and magnitudes of
interest, as one skilled in the art will realize. For an oil/gas
well application, it is preferred that the wall 25 be from 0.005 to
0.1 inches thick, and that the sensing region 33 be from 0.1 to 10
inches long. Different materials or pieces could be used for the
mandrel 24 and the wall 25, although it is preferred that they be
integral. The mandrel 24 may be formed by standard metal working
processes, pressing methods, or an extrusion or drawing
process.
[0018] A standard optical fiber 26 is coiled around the outside of
the mandrel 24 under a predetermined amount of tension and along at
least a portion of the sensing region 33. This coil 55 is
preferably secured in place around the sensing region 33 by
covering it with, an epoxy adhesive, encapsulating or potting
compound, or any other securing means (not shown) capable of
withstanding environment (e.g., temperature) into which the mandrel
will be deployed. When the hydrophone 10 is subjected to a
pressure, e.g., P.sub.O, that pressure will exert a force
perpendicular to the sensing region as shown. Thus, in the sensing
region 33, the pressure will compress the mandrel 24 inward causing
the wall 25 of the mandrel 24 to deform. When the mandrel 24
deforms, the coil 55 of optical fiber 26 will correspondingly
change in length. Optical detection of this change in length thus
allows a determination of the pressure, P.sub.O, as will be
described in more detail below.
[0019] The sensitivity of a fiber optic hydrophone using
interferometry principles is a function of the change of strain of
the fiber optic coil 55. As noted previously, the coil 55 is
preferably pre-strained, or tension wound, such that when the wall
25 of the mandrel 24 deforms inward, the coil 55 will still
maintain intimate contact with the wall 25. Maintaining such
contact thus helps to maximize the sensitivity of the coil and
increases the magnitude of pressures that may be detected. The
other objective of pretension is to keep the sensing fiber always
in tension and not operating in the compressional mode. Coil
sensitivity is further affected by the number of turns in the coil
55. As the mandrel deforms, each turn of the coil 55 will change in
length by a slight amount, but this amount is amplified, and
therefore easier to optically resolve, when more turns are used. In
short, increasing the number of turns will generally increase the
sensitivity of the coil 55. While an appropriate length will
necessarily depend on the application in question, coil lengths of
5 to 300 feet are believed preferable for detection of downhole
acoustics. The coil 55 can consist of a single layer or multiple
stacked layer of optical fiber 26 depending on the application.
[0020] The mandrel 24 may further include pre-drilled holes 49, 53
to aid in its attachment to another body as described in more
detail below. As shown in FIG. 1 the mandrel 24 is formed around a
discretely formed pressure relief valve 12, although the mandrel
and the housing of the valve may be formed as one integrated
unit.
[0021] Preferably, the fiber 26 further includes fiber Bragg
gratings (FBGs) 27a, 27b adjacent to both ends of the coil 55.
Light reflected from the FBGs 27a, 27b provides information about
the length of the optical fiber, and hence the pressure of the
detected acoustics, between the two FBGs. If the FBGs have the same
reflection wavelength, the reflected signals will form an
interference pattern that can be resolved using fringe counting
techniques or other demodulation techniques. One method for
interrogating a coil using an interferometric approach is disclosed
in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/726,059, entitled "Method
and Apparatus for Interrogating Fiber optic Sensors," filed Nov.
29, 2000, which is incorporated herein by reference in its
entirety.
[0022] It should be noted that the use of FBGs bounding the coil 55
is not strictly necessary. If the hydrophone 10 does not contain
FBGs, other known interferometric techniques may be used to
determine the change in length (circumferential or axial) of the
coil 55, such as by Mach Zehnder or Michaelson interferometric
techniques, which are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,218,197,
entitled "Method and Apparatus for the Non-invasive Measurement of
Pressure Inside Pipes Using a Fiber Optic Interferometer Sensor,"
issued to Carroll, and which is incorporated herein by reference in
its entirety. The coils may be multiplexed in a manner similar to
that described in Dandridge et al., "Fiber Optic Sensors for Navy
Applications," IEEE, February 1991, or Dandridge et al.,
"Multiplexed Interferometric Fiber Sensor Arrays," SPIE, Vol. 1586,
1991, pp. 176-183, which are also incorporated herein by reference
in their entireties.
[0023] Alternatively, the FBGs may have different reflection
wavelengths in a Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) approach.
Moreover, the FBGs themselves, instead of the coil 55 between them,
can be coiled around the sensor and used as the sensor(s) for the
hydrophone. In such an embodiment, the deformation of the wall 25
would manifest as shifts in the reflection wavelengths of the FBGs,
which could be correlated to the pressures being detected, as is
well known and not further discussed. In the preferred embodiment
of FIG. 1, the FBGs 27a, 27b are located so as to experience little
to no strain, as strain on the FBGs will shift the wavelength of
light reflected therefrom which might disturb the pressure
measurement. Thus, the optical fiber preferably lies along the
mandrel 24 at least slightly outside of the sensing region 33 and
compliant wall 25. Alternatively, the FBGs 27a, 27b may be isolated
from the wall 25 by isolation pads or similar devices, as is
disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/726,060, entitled
"Apparatus For Protecting Sensing Devices," filed Nov. 29, 2000,
which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
[0024] As alluded to earlier, the disclosed hydrophone further
includes a pressure relief valve 12 to compensate for changes in
hydrostatic pressure, which may result as the hydrophone is
deployed deeper and deeper into a well. The pressure relief valve
12 preferably includes a micro-hole 14. This micro-hole 14 acts as
a mechanical low pass filter that has a diameter such that pressure
waves above a certain frequency, e.g., 3 Hz, are unable to pass
through the micro-hole 14. Because these higher frequencies will
not exert a pressure on the valve 12, they will not affect the
pressure inside the inner cavity 32, which allows the presence of
such higher frequency components to be detected by the coil 55. By
contrast, frequencies below this cut off will exert pressure both
inside and outside of the coil, and will not be detectable. As most
frequencies of interest in acoustic phenomenon to be detected are
above this range, this frequency limitation does not appreciably
limit the operation of the hydrophone. In a preferred embodiment,
the diameter of micro-hole 14 ranges from about 0.001 to 0.1
inches.
[0025] The micro-hole 14 in conjunction with the valve 12 allows
for the compensation of hydrostatic pressures. The valve 12
includes a housing 23 containing a ball 18 normally biased against
an elastomeric O-ring 22 by a spring 16. The spring 16 exerts a
predetermined force against the ball 18 ("valve closing force"),
which is determined by the amount of compression of the spring and
its spring constant. Preferably, this force maintains approximately
a 50 psi difference between the P.sub.I of the inner cavity 32 and
the P.sub.O of the outer environment. In one embodiment, the valve
12 may comprise a 0.187" Unscreened Pressure Relief Valve
manufactured by The Lee Company. This valve is constructed entirely
of stainless steel, has a diameter of {fraction (3/16)} inch, is
approximately {fraction (1/2)} inch long, and imparts a valve
closing force from 20 to 100 psi.
[0026] As the components of the valve 12 may become exposed to the
fluids present in the well, it is preferred that they be made of
suitably resilient materials. Ball 18 may be made of a metal alloy
such as stainless steel, ceramic, or plastic or rubber materials
such as closed cell synthetic rubber, solid natural rubber,
polyurethane, polyethylene, silicone rubber, or neoprene. The ball
18 may be hollow and may take other shapes (e.g., cylindrical) so
long as it is movable in response to the increasing external
pressure and is capable of forming a good seal. If the ball is made
of a deformable material, the O-ring 22 may be eliminated from the
pressure relief valve 12. The spring 16 preferably comprises a
metal alloy such as stainless steel. Biasing means other than
springs may also be used so long as they are sufficient to maintain
the required internal pressure P.sub.I within the inner cavity.
[0027] It is preferred to form the valve 12 within its housing 23
before coupling the housing 23 to the mandrel 24, although these
components can be formed as an integral piece. Coupling between the
housing 23 and the mandrel 24 may be effectuated by a screw
relationship, by welding, or by other well known means (not shown).
Thereafter, the inner cavity 32 of the hydrophone can be filled
with oil by using a thin probe to depress the ball and introducing
oil through the micro-hole 14. Alternatively, the inner cavity 32
can be filled with oil prior to the coupling of the housing 23 to
the mandrel 24.
[0028] As noted earlier, some prior art hydrophones were limited
with respect to the pressures to which they could be exposed, as
high pressures presented the risk of collapsing the relatively thin
wall around which the sensing coils were wrapped. This problem has
been alleviated in the disclosed hydrophone design because the
pressure inside of the hydrophone can roughly be brought into
equilibrium with the external hydrostatic pressure. When the
external pressure P.sub.O exceeds the valve closing force of valve
12 (e.g., 50 psi), the ball 18 of the valve 12 will start to open,
which allows the external pressure to couple into the inner cavity
through micro-hole 14. (Depending on the viscosity of the oil in
the inner cavity 32 and the diameter of the ball 18 within its
housing 23, the well fluid and the oil within the hydrophone may
mix, but this is not deleterious to the operation of the
hydrophone. Should particulates in the well fluid cause concern
that the valve might become jammed, a mesh or screen (not shown)
may be placed within the micro-hole 14). Accordingly, the
hydrophone 10 may be deployed to great depths and subjected to
great pressures (e.g., 20,000 psi) while still retaining a
relatively thin (and dynamically sensitive) wall 25, which is
capable of detecting higher frequency acoustic phenomenon as
explained earlier.
[0029] FIG. 2 discloses an embodiment of the hydrophone which
provides both descending and ascending pressure compensation, and
which incorporates two pressure relief valves 12a, 12b. Valve 12a
allows for descending pressure compensation, as described above.
Valve 12b, which is similar (or identical) in structure to valve
12a, allows for ascending pressure compensation, and operates as
follows. When the hydrophone 10 is raised from a lower depth to a
higher depth, the external hydrostatic pressure decreases. Because
the inner cavity had been coupled to a higher pressure at the lower
depth, the volume of the fluid within the inner cavity 32 will
expand at the higher depth. When the pressure of the inner cavity
32 exceeds the sum of the external pressure and the valve closing
force of valve 12b (again, preferably 50 psi), valve 12b will open
and equilibrate the external and internal pressures. When the
external pressures fall below the valve closing force (e.g., 50
psi), valve 12b will close, thus trapping the fluid within the
inner cavity 32 at the valve closing force. One skilled in the art
will recognize that valves 12a and 12b are "one way" valves.
Accordingly, when the hydrophone descends, valve 12b is prevented
from opening due to the pressure the ball 18b exerts on the O-ring
22b; similarly, when the hydrophone ascends, valve 12a is prevented
from opening due to the pressure the ball 18a exerts on the O-ring
22a. In summary, the structural integrity of the hydrophone 10 as
shown in FIG. 2 remains intact as the hydrostatic pressure
changes.
[0030] Depending on the application at hand, an embodiment of the
disclosed hydrophone could have either or both of the valves 12a,
12b. For example, if it is not anticipated that the hydrophone 10
will be retrieved, valve 12b, providing for ascending pressure
relief, may not be necessary. Moreover, if the hydrophone 10 is not
going to be placed sufficiently deeply such that descending
pressure compensation will cause a problem, or if the inner cavity
can be pre-pressurized to a suitably high value, then valve 12a,
providing for descending pressure relief, may not be necessary.
Additionally, in an embodiment having both valves 12a, 12b, the
valve closing forces of the two valves need not be the same.
[0031] The disclosed hydrophone 10 may be cylindrical in shape as
shown perspectively in FIG. 3, but may also comprise a preferable
more flattened shape as shown in FIG. 4. This flattened, oblique
cylindrical, shape renders the hydrophone more sensitive to the
dynamic acoustic pressures being measured, as the hydrophone is
more compliant along the elongated surfaces when compared with a
cylindrical embodiment.
[0032] FIG. 5 discloses the hydrophone 10 within a perforated
housing 34 to form a hydrophone package assembly 20. Essentially,
housing 34 provides mechanical protection to the hydrophone 10.
(and particularly to the fiber optics), while still allowing
dynamic and static pressures to couple to the hydrophone 10 through
holes 75. The housing 34 may include a first recessed end 76 and a
second open end 77. The first recessed end 76 of the housing 34 is
joined to a disc 35. The disc 35 and the housing 34 are composed of
a metal suitable for the intended environment of the hydrophone
assembly 20, such as stainless steel or Inconel. The disc 35, the
housing 34, or both further include pressure relief holes 75 for
allowing the well bore fluid to enter into the housing cavity 42.
Preferably the fiber 26 is sufficiently encapsulated with a coating
material, such as an epoxy, to protect the fiber 26 from the
corrosive effects of the well bore fluid. The thickness of the disc
35 or housing 34 may be varied depending on the temperature and
harshness of the environment and the expected pressure. The disc 35
is preferably joined to the recessed end 76 of the housing 34 by
laser welding, although other techniques or methods known in the
art can be used. Furthermore, the disc 35 and the housing 34 may be
formed into one integral housing or sleeve as opposed to joining
two separate pieces together. The second end 77 of the housing 34
is joined to an end cap 46, which further includes an optical
feedthrough 38 such as disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser.
No. 09/628,264, entitled "Optical Fiber Bulkhead Feedthrough
Assembly And Method For Making Same," filed on Jul. 28, 2000, which
is incorporated herein by reference. The fiber optic feedthrough 38
allows the fiber 26 to pass through the end cap 46 on its way to
the optical source/detection equipment preferably residing at the
surface of the well (not shown). A metal capillary tube 44, or
series of interconnecting tubes, preferably protects the fiber 26
as it exits the housing 34. The capillary tube(s) 44 is preferably
welded to the end cap 46, and details concerning the welding
process and other applicable manufacturing details are disclosed in
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/266,903, entitled "Multiple
Component Sensor Mechanism," filed Oct. 6, 2002, which is
incorporated herein by reference. The feedthrough 38 preferably
seals the fiber 26 in place with an epoxy, glass, or other sealing
material known in the art depending on the intended pressure and
temperature to be encountered. The end cap 46 may then be
threadably connected to the housing 34 or may be connected by other
known mechanical means or by welding. If the end cap 46 is welded
to the housing 34, the end cap should have an end cap shoulder 57
that extends a sufficient distance within the inner dimension of
the housing 34 to dissipate heat during the welding operation. For
example, the shoulder 57 of the end cap 46 may extend approximately
4.5 mm into the housing 34, which has an inner dimension of
approximately 19 mm.
[0033] The hydrophone 10 is supported within the housing 34
preferably by the use of locating pins 48 attached to the end cap
46, which may be similar to clevis pins. The locating pins 48 fit
within pre-drilled holes 49 where a second smaller pin 52, such as
or similar to a cotter pin, is inserted into the locating pin 48 to
lock the locating pin 48 in place. The hydrophone 10 may further
include a second pre-drilled hole 53 for the placement of the
smaller pin 52 (see FIG. 2). The hydrophone 10 is thus sufficiently
supported within the housing 34 without making contact thereto
except at the location of the pin mechanisms. As one will realize,
one or more pin/locating pin mechanisms may be employed, and the
scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments
shown. Additionally, the hydrophone 10 may be affixed within the
housing 34 in other ways, as one skilled in the art will
realize.
[0034] Alternatively, the housing cavity 42 may be sealed from the
well bore fluid. With a solid housing 34 and a corrugated diaphragm
(not shown), instead of a perforated disc 35, the hydrophone 10
(and in particular the fiber optics) would be protected from the
corrosive affects of the well bore fluid. In such an embodiment,
the housing cavity 42 may be filled with a fluid such as silicone
fluid. To alleviate the thermal expansion of the fluid when the
hydrophone assembly 20 is exposed to high temperatures, a
compensator (not shown) is preferably disposed within the housing
34. Such a compensator is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser.
No. ______, entitled "High Pressure And High Temperature
Hydrophone," filed ______ with Attorney Docket No.
13137.0142.NPUS00, which is incorporated herein by reference. The
compensator has a variable volume responsive to the thermal
expansion of the fluid. The compensator may preferably comprise a
hollow bellow composed of metal. In an additional embodiment, the
hydrophone 10 may preferably be enclosed within compliant tubing,
which provides for static pressure compensation as well as allows
the dynamic acoustics to couple into the tubing. Such compliant
tubing may be formed from polyurethane or other similar plastic
material. Furthermore, the tubing may be fluid-filled or
alternatively have a solid core filled with, for example,
polyurethane foam or other suitable material.
[0035] The hydrophone assembly 20 allows for the coil 55 to sense
dynamic acoustic pressure waves. The hydrophone assembly 20 is
designed to be deployed in the well annulus between the production
pipe 54 (shown in FIG. 6) and the well casing 62 where it will be
subjected to high temperatures, pressures, and potentially caustic
chemicals or mechanical damage by debris within the annulus.
Because these conditions could potentially damage an optical fiber,
the pressure relief holes 75 may further include a mesh or filter
device for preventing the entry of particles into the housing
cavity while allowing the entry of static and dynamic pressures.
The dynamic acoustics then exert a pressure onto the hydrophone 10
deforming the coil 55. The dynamic acoustics may then be detected,
while the hydrostatic pressures are compensated for within the
hydrophone cavity 32 as described previously. It should be noted
however that the use of a housing 34 is not strictly necessary, and
the hydrophone could work in a given environment without such a
housing. If a housing 34 is not used, the fiber optic cable and
coil 55 should be coated for protection, for example, with a
suitably resilient epoxy as mentioned earlier.
[0036] Turning to the schematic illustration in FIG. 6, a fiber
optic in-well seismic array 68 used in the exploration of a
hydrocarbon reservoir is depicted. The array 68 has a plurality of
seismic stations 60 which include the disclosed hydrophone package
assemblies 20 interconnected by inter-station cables 56. The array
68 is shown deployed in a well 50, which has been drilled down to a
subsurface production zone and is equipped for the production of
petroleum effluents. Typically, the well 50 includes a casing 62
coupled to the surrounding formations by injected cement.
Production tubing 54 is lowered into the cased well 50 with the
seismic stations clamped thereto, which may be accomplished using
the techniques and apparatuses disclosed in U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 10/266,715, entitled "Apparatus and Method for
Transporting, Deploying, and Retrieving Arrays Having Nodes
Interconnected by Sections of Cable," filed Oct. 6, 2002, which is
incorporated by reference in its entirety. The well 50 can be
fifteen to twenty thousand feet or more in depth.
[0037] The seismic stations 60 include hydrophone assemblies 20 and
clamp mechanisms 64 such as disclosed in U.S. Provisional Patent
Application Serial No. 60/416,932, entitled "Clamp Mechanism for
In-Well Seismic Sensor," filed Oct. 6, 2002, which is incorporated
by reference in its entirety. The hydrophone assemblies 20 are
interconnected by the inter-station cables 56 to an instrumentation
unit 70, which may be located at the surface or on an oil platform
(not shown). The instrumentation unit 70 typically includes optical
source/detection equipment, such as a demodulator and/or optical
signal processing equipment (not shown). The inter-station cables
56 (i.e., cable 44 of FIG. 5) are typically {fraction (1/4)} inch
diameter cables housing optical fibers between the hydrophone
assemblies 20 and the instrumentation unit 70.
[0038] The optical source within the instrumentation unit 70 may
include a semiconductor laser diode that may be pulsed to
effectuate the preferred interferometric coil interrogation
technique discussed earlier. However, and as one skilled in the art
understands, there are various other optical signal analysis
approaches that may be used to analyze the reflected signals from
the hydrophone, such as (1) direct spectroscopy, (2) passive
optical filtering, (3) tracking using a tunable filter, or (4)
fiber laser tuning (if a portion or all of the fiber between a pair
of FBGs is doped with a rare earth dopant). Examples of a tunable
laser can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,317,576; 5,513,913; and
5,564,832, which are incorporated herein by reference. One skilled
in the art will also appreciate that the use of a fiber optic
sensor in the disclosed hydrophone easily lends itself to
multiplexing to other hydrophones or to other fiber optic devices
along a single fiber optic transmission cable (i.e., cables 56),
such as by the TDM or WDM approaches alluded to earlier.
[0039] The disclosed hydrophone assembly 20 has many potential
downhole uses, but is believed to be particularly useful in
vertical seismic profiling to determine the location of petroleum
effluents in the geologic strata surrounding the well in which the
hydrophones are deployed. (Further details concerning vertical
seismic profiling are disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No.
09/612,775, entitled "Method and Apparatus for Seismically
Surveying an Earth Formation in Relation to a Borehole," filed Jul.
10, 2000, which is incorporated herein by reference in its
entirety). As is known, a seismic generator (not shown) detonated
at the surface near the well is used to generate acoustic waves
which reflect off of the various strata and are detected by the
hydrophone assemblies 20 at each seismic station 56. In this
application, the seismic stations 60 are distributed over a known
length, for example, 5000 feet. Over the known length, the seismic
stations 60 can be evenly spaced at desired intervals, such as
every 10 to 50 feet, as is necessary to provide a desired
resolution. Accordingly, the fiber optic in-well seismic array 68
can include hundreds of hydrophone assemblies 20 and associated
clamp mechanisms 64. Because fiber optic connectors on the
inter-station cables 56 between the hydrophone assemblies 20 can
generate signal loss and back reflection of the interrogating
signals, the use of such connectors is preferably minimized or
eliminated in the array. Instead, it is preferred to splice
together the various components along a single fiber optic cable,
which minimizes signal loss. Such splicing may be performed in
accordance with the techniques disclosed in U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 10/266,903, which has already been incorporated herein. If
optical loss is still too significant along the entirety of the
array even when splicing is used, different fiber optic cables can
be used to interrogate different sections of the array, which
requires inter-station cable 56 to possibly carry multiple fiber
optic cables.
[0040] As used herein, "hydrostatic pressure" should be understood
to include low frequency "quasi static" pressures capable of
coupling into the inner cavity of the hydrophone, and hence which
are not detectable as explained earlier. Moreover, a "valve" should
be understood as meaning a discrete component for selectively
blocking or not blocking the transfer of fluid. Accordingly, a
"valve" should not be understood as referring to a mere port,
conduit, or hole, even if such a port, conduit, or hole acts to
restrict the transfer of fluid in certain circumstances.
[0041] The invention is not limited to the above-disclosed
embodiments, but instead is defined by the following claims and
their equivalents.
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